Seafood boil
Seafood boil in the United States is the generic term for any number of types of social events in which shellfish, whether saltwater or freshwater, is the central element.
Regional variations dictate the kinds of seafood, the accompaniments and side dishes, and the preparation techniques (boiling, steaming, baking, or raw).
The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival in Louisiana has been named one of the top 10 food events by USA Today[1] and is a showcase for Cajun music and culture.
Shrimp and crab are higher valued cash crops, and can be a less affordable option for larger groups.
Seasonings include crab boil packets, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, salt, lemons, and bay leaf.
Ears of corn, new potatoes, onions, and heads of garlic are usually included in shrimp and crawfish boils.
A "Boil Master" is in charge of making sure the ingredients go into the pot in the proper sequence and controls the timing of the steps.
Sometimes, crawfish may be dumped into the traditional watercraft in which crawfishermen have historically used to traverse the bayous and swamps; a pirogue.
He notes, "At our last big party we boiled 400 pounds of shrimp and 400 fat crabs for 200 guests and we drank eight thirty-gallon kegs of beer.
For music we had Kid Thomas and his Algiers Stompers, the famous old gut-bucket jazz group from Preservation Hall, and the Olympia Funeral Marching Band".
[3] The Chimney Sweepers technique was to use new thirty-gallon galvanized garbage cans, filled one third full of water and brought to a boil with seasonings.
In 2005, The Travel Channel featured Richard's brother, Charles Gay, cooking Frogmore Stew in its popular program Taste of America with Mark DeCarlo.
It showcases the same set of French, Spanish, African and Afro-Caribbean influences (spawning from the slave trade and Acadian expulsion), that Louisiana is known for.
The best-attended function to feature Frogmore Stew occurs in July at the 10-day Beaufort Water Festival (in the 54 years of the festival it has grown to be the largest totally volunteer-run festival on the south eastern coast), the event feeds 2,400, the recipe includes 1,200 lbs of shrimp, 2,400 ears of corn, 600 lbs of sausage, 72 oz of seafood seasoning (for perspective, 72oz of crab boil would be enough to boil approximately 4 sacks of crawfish in Louisiana, which would feed about 16 adults) and is served with 350 lbs of coleslaw, 250 gal of iced tea, 2,400 rolls and 90 watermelons.
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary system in North America with most of its shoreline residing in the state of Maryland.
The Chesapeake provides Maryland with an abundance of seafood including but not limited to blue crabs, oysters, and clams.
Spice Company[4][5][6][7][8] (Old Bay and other blends are used in smaller amounts by home cooks), and then placed in the steamer.
The steaming takes approximately twenty minutes and turns the crabs bright red while leaving a heavy layer of seasoning caked on.
The crabs are served either on large platters or dumped directly on tables covered with layers of butcher paper.
Two or three minutes after the fire goes out, the ashes are swept away and the mussels are eaten directly from the shell along with country bread, butter, and white wine.
